Hydraulic bowl release for cone crushers



1962 1.. G. SYMONS 3,019,994

HYDRAULIC BOWL RELEASE FOR CONE CRUSHERS Filed Oct. 16. 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I/ f/i W, //x \fi L 1 I III 53 INVENTOR.

ATTOIP/VIFS.

Feb. 6, 1962 G. SYMONS HYDRAULIC BOWL RELEASE FOR CONE CRUSHERS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; [Off/V 6. SWOA/S, 64m/4J .H v E5 u a a a 017*:

Filed Oct. 16, 1957 ATIaPA ZKS.

3,919,994 HYDRAULIC BOWL RELEASE FOR CONE CRUSHERS Loren G. Syrnous,North Holiywood, Calif., assignor to Nordberg Manufacturing Company,Milwaukee, Wis.,

a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Get. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 699,458 3Claims. ((31. 241-299) The present invention relates to an improvementin cone crusher adjusting and release means, and has for one purpose toprovide improved and quickly releasable and yieldable locking means forlocking the bowl of a cone crusher against unintended movement inrelation to the bowl supporting ring.

Another purpose is to provide means for quickly releasing such lockingmeans and for thereby permitting quick adjustment of the bowl and ring.

Another purpose is to provide improved means for adjusting the bowl of acone crusher in circumstances where the bowl is in screw-threadedrelation to a bowl support by rotating the bowl in relation to thesupport.

Another purpose is to provide improved releasing means for moving thebowl of a cone crusher when uncrushable material is wedged between bowland head.

Another purpose is to provide improved control means for controlling thebowl adjusting and bowl releasing means.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a typical cone crusher;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical radial section, on an enlarged scale, on the line22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial section, with parts broken away, on the line 33 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation on the same scale as FIGURE 2, with partsbroken away and parts in section, illustrating another feature of myinvention; and

FIGURE 5 is a more or less diagrammatic illustration of a varyingstructure.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specificationand drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 generally illustrates the base flange ofthe circumferential crusher frame 2. The crusher frame terminates at itsupper edge in a flange 3 having outwardly extending aprons 4. The flange3 has an inner, upwardly conic surface 3a and an outer, generally conicsurface 312. Conforming to and centered on and normally in fixedrelation to the flange 3 is the bowl ring or support 5. This support hasan inner component 5a which is inwardly screw-threaded as at 5b. Itextends outwardly and has a circumferential channel, generally indicatedas So, having portions conforming to the conic faces 3a and 3b of themain frame flange. The ring has also an outward extension or extensions,as at 5d.

In the form of crusher herein shown, thebowl ring 5 is normally helddownwardly against the main frame flan e 3 by a plurality of springsarranged in clusters. The upper ends of the springs of a particularcluster are positioned within the apron 4 on the flange 3' and abutagainst the flat lower surface 4a of the main frame flange 3. A lowermovable abutment for the spring cluster is indicated at 6. Compressedbetween the abutment 6 and the lower main frame flange surface 4a areaplurality of springs 7. One spring, indicated at 7a, operates somewhatdifferently from the remaining springs 7 of.

the cluster, as will later be seen. Extending through some or all of thesprings 7 are spring bolts 8 which maybe headed at the top, as at Sat,and which may have securing nite States Patent 3,919,994 Patented Feb.6, 1962 ICQ nuts or other suitable adjustable abutments 812 at theirlower end. By adjustment of the nuts 8b, the compression of the springs7 may be adjusted. Since the bolts extend through suitable apertures inthe main frame flange 3 and in the bowl supporting or adjusting ring 5,with the heads 9a abutting against the top of the bowl supporting oradjusting ring, the springs 7 are effective normally, through theabutment 6 and the bolts 8, to hold the ring 5 firmly downwardly againstthe main frame flange 3 in the position in which the parts are shown inFIGURE 2.

The bowl structure proper is generally indicated at 19. It includes anouter, outwardly screw-threaded cylindrical portion 19a which is inscrew-threaded relation with the:

justing ring 5, they may be keyed together as at 1212.- The connectionbetween the threads may be protected in any suitable way, for example,by the outwardly and downwardly extending hood 11a which may wipe acrossany suitable oil seal 11!: on the locking ring 12 and a seal 110 betweenthe locking ring 12 and the adjusting ring 5. In order to lock thelocking ring in place, and to prevent undesired relative rotation of themembers 5 and 19, I

find it advantageous to employ the individual springs is. I may, forexample, employ one spring in each cluster, or I may employ springs insome clusters while omitting such springs in others, depending upon therequired locking pressure. 1 I

Taking the cluster shown in vertical section in FIGURE 2 as typical, itwill be noted that the spring 7a has a separate washer 14 at its lowerend and a separate adjustment or adjusting nut 14a. The abutment 6 isapertured or cut away to permit this. The spring bolt 15 of the spring7a has the washer l4 adjustably secured by the adjusting nut 14a. Thebolt 15 is shown as having an enlargement 15a which enters anappropriate cavity in the lower part of the main frame flange portion5d. The parts are so proportioned that a slight upward travel of thespring bolt 15 is permitted before the enlargement 15a contacts theupper end of the cavity in the portion 5d in which it is positioned.Thus, a slight upward movement of the spring bolt 15 is permitted,without any movement of the adjusting ring 5. I employrthis slightupward movement to permit or effect a release of the locking ring 12,Thelocking ring is normally urged upwardly by locking levers 16, ofwhich the lever shown in FIGURE 2 is typi- These levers may be fulcrumedon heads 16:: at or adjacent their inner ends which are notched at 16btocal.

position in which they are shown in FIGURE 2, operates i.

to exert a downward pressure on the outer end of the locking lever16,.which exercises a corresponding upward thrust against the apron 12aof the screw-threaded lock- I of the lever, it may" ing ring 12. Toincrease the length be inclined to the radial. It will be understood, ofcourse,

that a suflicient number of the spring bolts 15 and their associatedsprings 7a are freed from the normal clusters to exercise an adequateupward locking thrust against the.

locking ring 12.

When it is desired to adjust the crusher by imparting a rotation of thebowl 1G in relation to the adjusting ring 5, I provide means for liftingthe spring bolts a sufficient distance to free the locking pressure ofthe locking ring 12. A slight travel is sufficient, and this travel maybe obtained, for example, by the use of hydraulic jacks such as areshown at in FIGURE 2. There will preferably be an individual hydraulicjack for each of the spring bolts 15, each jack constituting thereby arelease for one of the locking levers 16. The details of the jacks donot of themselves form part of the present invention. It will beunderstood, however, that they may be connected by any suitable manifold21 to which the interior of each jack is connected by any suitablepassage 22. I prefer to employ conventional spring return jacks so thatwhen hydraulic pressure is admitted to the interior of the jack, itspiston 26a rises, the spring being effective to depress the piston 260when hydraulic pressure is released.

It is thought not necessary to show the hydraulic system in detail. Iillustrate, however, in diagrammatic form, a valve control lever which,when moved in one direction or to one position, permits only suthcientpres sure to build up in the jacks" to raise the spring bolts 15 adistance effective merely to release the lever 16. I may, for example,employ any suitable by-pass valving so that the only possible result ofmoving the lever 25 in the direction 25a would be to elevate the springbolts 15 as far as they are permitted to rise without lifting the bowlad'- justing ring 5. On the other hand, when the lever 25 is moved inthe direction 25b or to a different position, it will be understood thatthe valving is eifective to permit sufficient pressure to build up inthe jacks to elevate the adjustment ring 5 as high as the springs 7 and7a will permit it to rise. I may say that the possible excursion in aknown type of cone crusher having a cone with a diameter of 7 feet atthe lower edge is of the order of 4 /2 to 5 inches. However, theparticular size of the" crusher, or the particular permitted excursion,are not critical. What I wish to be able to do, andcan do by the hereindescribed structure, is to employ a set of jacks alternatively torelease the locking pressure on the locking ring 12, or to elevate thebowl adjustment ring 5. A purpose for elevating the ring 5 is to permitthe in terior of the crusher to be freed of uncrushable material whichhas stalled the crusher.

It will be understood that, in the normal use ofthe device, the crushinghead, generally indicated at 30, is gyrated toward and away from thebowl 10. The crushing takes place as the result of the gyration of thehead within the normally fixed bowl. In the event that uncrushablematerial, such as a mass of packed particles or a dipper tooth, or someother piece of tramp iron, is in the crushing cavity and does notpass-through, the crusher may stall. In such case, with themachine'stalled, I may use the jacks 20 to compress the springs7 as wellas 7a., and to thereby elevate the adjusting ring 5. The result is toincrease the clearance between the bowl and head. The blocking materialthen normally passes downwardly from the crushing cavity. When the trampiron or dipper teeth are involved, and are of too great a size to passdownwardly through the'cavity, they can easily be lifted upwardly out ofthe bowl.

In many crushing operations frequent adjustment is necessary because ofthe high degree of wear. I illustrate in FIGURE 4 a suitable means forapplying hydraulic pressure to impart rotation to the bowl 10 inrelation to the adjusting ring 5. 1 illustrate, for example, a post 50;positioned on the adjusting ring 5. I form this post as a jack, with abore 51 and a piston 52. Oil entering the bore of the cylinder 51through the oil connection 53 will raise the piston or plunger, and itsplunger sheave, upwardly. An adjusting cable or suitable flexible member55 passes around the sheave 56 on the adjusting ring, and passesupwardly about the sheave 54 and can be hooked by the eye or ring 57 onthe hook 58 fixed in relation to the jack. Thus, as the sheave 54 iselevated, the cable 55 is drawn in about the sheave 55 and it is securedat its opposite end to the bowl structure 10. Therefore, the result ofthe upward movement of the sheave 54 is to rotate the bowl 10 inrelation to the adjusting ring 5. This rotation is permitted only whenthe locking ring 12 has already been moved to the release position by asuitable upward rnovernent of the lower jacks 20. When the ring has thusbeen released the upper jack structure above described may be operatedto pull in on the cable 55 and thus to rotate the bowl structure-10 toits desired adjustment. It will be understood that I may use one or moresuch jacks. It will also be understood that I may employ the abovedescribed system of FIGURE 4 to rotate the bowl It) in either direction.I may, for example, have a pair of such jacks with sheaves 56 and hooks58 on opposite sides of each jack. It will be further understood thatwhen a greater movement than that obtained by the possible elevation ofthe sheave 54 is desired, the cable ring 57 may be released from thebook 53, and may be secured to or by any suitable crane or hoist,whereby a greater rotational excursion may be obtained.

In the form of FIGURE 5, I illustrate an alternative application offorce. The disclosure can be taken somewhat diagrammatically, .with themain frame and top flange omitted, but with a rod element 60illustrated, which passes upwardly through the bottom of the springcluster plate or abutment 6,.and passes upwardly through the bowlsupporting ring. 5 to connect with a leverage which may be as shown inFIGURE 2. I am, therefore, illustrating in FIGURE 5 the material whichactually differs from the structure shownin FIGURE 2. The rod 60resembles the spring bolt 15 of FIGURE 2, in that it has a topenlargement 61 fitting into an appropriately formed apertured in thebottom of the bowl supporting ring 5, and also has an upward extension62 which may engage any suitable leverage for applying force to thelocking ring712, as shown in FIGURE 2. The rod 60 has a bottom plate orabutment 63 which is located substatitially below the plate 6. The rodpasses through an appropriate aperture 64, centrally located in theplate 6, or so located as to be on the general axis of the combinedspring thrust of the cluster of springs taken as a whole. A separatespring 65, located below the cluster plate or abutment 6, is compressedbetween it and the bottom plate 63 of the rod 60, and normally urges therod downwardly in such fashion as to deliver, through a suitableleverage, such as is shown in FIGURE 2, a locking up-thrust against thelocking ring 12 of FIGURE 2. However, when adjustment or release isnecessary, hydraulic pressure is admitted to the jack 66and urges itsoperating piston 67.

upwardly against the bottom plate or abutment 63 of the rod 60. Thepiston 67 urges the rod and the plate 63 upwardly, and the first contactis with a downwardly extending abutment or abutments 68 below the plate6. This elevation is sufiicient to move the rod 60 upwardly far enoughto release the locking ring 12 of FIGURE 2, or its equivalent. The bowlcan then be adjusted, as above described. If, however, the hydraulicsystem is operated to give the maximum upward movement of the jackelement 67, then the second contact takes place between the rodenlargement 61 and the bowl supporting ring 5, and the jack system iseffective to lift the ring 5 to the extent permitted by the full, orsubstantially full, compression of the springs 7. FIGURE 5 will, ofcourse, be read as if the springs 7 were in position and were compressedbetween the plate 6 and the main frame flange 16 of FIGUREZ.

The structure of FIGURE 5 has certain definite advantages. For example,the thrust of each jack is balanced with the thrust of the particularnest of springs with which it is associated. It will be understood, ofcourse, that a suitablenumber of jacks is positioned around the mainframe, there being one for each of the selected number of spring nests.In some circumstances, in heavy duty crushers, it may be advantageous tohave a jack and a push rod 60 for each nest of springs. Under mostcircumstances, however, this is not necessary.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practicaland operative device, nevertheless, many changes may be made in size,shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spiritof my invention. I, therefore, wish my description and drawings to betaken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic rather than aslimiting me to my specific disclosure herein. It will be understood, forexample, that whereas I have illustrated a crusher in which the springsare arranged in clusters, my system may be applied equally well tocrushers in which the springs are equally distributed in a single tierabout the exterior of the main frame. Whereas I illustrate the jacks 20as below the main frame flange 3, and, of course, below the adjustingring 5, they may be put at any other desired or desirable location.Likewise, whereas I find it advantageous to apply the lifting thrustthrough the spring bolts 15 to the adjusting ring 5, by the use of theheads 150, I do not wish to be limited to this specific arrangement.

It will be understood, also, that whereas I find it advantageous to haveeach of the thrust members 15 or 60 operate initially to release thebowl for adjustment, and to operate thereafter by a longer travel toelevate the bowl, I may segregate the system and have some membersoperating to release for adjustment and other members operating torelease the bowl.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

Stated simply, I employ springs to hold a bowl or bowl support againstmovement in relation to a main frame. I find it desirable normally torely on these springs. In currently employed cone crushers, such springsare used, and give adequate service. In cone crushers now on the market,adjustments, however, are somewhat lengthy and difficult, and no meansare provided for a quick release of a stalled crusher. My inventionprovides both quick adjustment in normal use and quick release of thecrusher, when stalled, by an hydraulic system which normally idles. Itoperates only when needed. Normally, the springs operate to hold theadjusting ring downwardly against the main frame flange 3, whilepermitting the necessary yielding safety release to prevent breakage andto permit occasional overloads to pass through. However, when adjustmentis desired the movement of the lever 25 in the direction 25a immediatelyreleases the locking ring 12. This permits rotation of the bowl 10 inrelation to the adjustment ring 5. If the head is gyrated in the properdirection, the immediate result of such a release of the locking ring 12is to permit the bowl to rotate in response to the movement of the headand the material compressed therebetween. Otherwise, the structure ofFIGURE 4 may be used. As soon as the desired adjustment is reached, thehydraulic jacks 20 are released by a return of the lever 25 to neutral,and the springs 7a resume their normal locking thrust of the lever 16against the locking ring 12. If desired, additional locking means may beemployed, such as any suitable links or connections, not herein shown,between the bowl 10 and the adjusting ring 5. If desired, the cable 55,which is normally hydraulically operated to impart a limited rotation ofthe bowl 10, may be connected to any other suitable crane or outsidesource of power in order to impart a movement of greater amplitude.

I claim:

1. For use with a crusher having a gyrated head, a frame, and a bowlstructure rotatably adjustable in relation to said frame, hydraulicmeans for rotatably adjusting said bowl structure in relation to theframe, said hydraulic means including a flexible tension member, meansfor securing spaced parts of the flexible tension member to the bowlstructure and the frame, a contact element about which said flexibletension member passes, and hydraulic means for moving said contactelement from a predetermined initial position and for thereby exertingtension on the tension member effective to move the spaced parts of thetension member closer together and thereby to rotate the bowl inrelation to the frame.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the contact element isconstituted by a sheave.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized by the employment as 'acontact element of a sheave and a hydraulic ram for moving said sheaveto exert tension on the flexible tension member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,550,098 Traylor Apr. 24, 1951 2,680,571 Bjaarme June 8, 1954 2,687,257Rumpel Aug. 24, 1954 2,747,804 Rumpel May 29, 1956 2,791,383 KjelgaardMay 7, 1957

